I’ve seen an increasing number of omnibus editions on the e-book market in recent years.
It’s an attractive idea:
- Customers save money when the omnibus is discounted compared to buying individually.
- It’s convenient: Customers don’t have to hunt down the separate volumes or remember to buy later.
- The omnibus allows continuity in reading: When you finish one volume, the next is sitting right there, ready to read.
- Seeing the omnibus available, you don’t feel worried that the series might not be completed (provided that the omnibus is a complete set).
- Authors benefit by encouraging customers to buy the entire series up front.
The benefits sound pretty good. So I was about to hop on the bandwagon myself. Until I started having second thoughts.
Are there any disadvantages?
- Will the presence of your omnibus edition deter the sales of your other books? If so, this may offset the benefits of a stronger sales rank and your reviews may get spread thinner.
- If you already have some volumes out with good sales ranks and a healthy number of reviews, you’re kind of starting over with the omnibus edition. Maybe the potential savings will help to stimulate many early sales to quickly build up the sales rank and reviews, but then returns the issue of what happens to your other books?
- If you’ve already promoted your individual volumes, have many links online pointing to your other books, and have already been branding and marketing your books, you need to consider your omnibus with your marketing plans. The omnibus does give you new time in the new release category and provides new opportunities to create buzz, but you must also consider your other books.
- If you sell both e-books and print books, will you make a print omnibus, too? Paperback customers may appreciate having separate volumes over one mammoth book. Also, for lengthy novels, a single book may exceed the maximum number of pages possible.
- For Kindle e-books, if you’re planning to set the omnibus price above $9.99, you need to consider that the royalty rate is 35% for Kindle e-books priced $10 and up, so you may actually make much more money selling the e-books separately or limiting the price of the omnibus to $9.99. If your books include many pictures, you must also factor in the delivery costs.
How do you feel about omnibuses, as an author or reader? If you have experience publishing an omnibus, please share it so that others may learn from your experience.
Publishing Resources
I started this blog to provide free help with writing, publishing, and marketing. You can find many free articles on publishing and marketing by clicking one of the following links:
Chris McMullen, Author of A Detailed Guide to Self-Publishing with Amazon and Other Online Booksellers
My original self-publishing guide, How to Self-Publish a Book on Amazon.com, has recently been updated and expanded.
Follow me at WordPress, find my author page on Facebook, or connect with me through Twitter.
chrismcmullen 